Shinwa
by AngelIre
Summary: Haruka has strange abilities and no memory of who or what she is, but is inadvertently adopted into the dysfunctional family of Urahara Shoten. My first upload, reviews are humbly sought after. Don't read if you don't like mythology. Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue: White Rose Falls

_**My first upload. Kinda nervous. Please be kind. :}**_

* * *

Sayuri sat quietly in the garden, watching the breeze move the branches of the rose arbor. They were white roses, veined with a delicate peach color. They were beautiful, but she preferred more humble flowers. Roses conjured up too many dramatic connotations for her taste. And they had too many thorns.

She sighed and turned away, catching her reflection in the mirror-still pond at her feet. The woman who looked back at her from the surface of the water was beautiful, but her large violet eyes were haunted; her slender form drooping with weariness. Even her long white hair looked disheartened, hanging around her melancholy face. Framed by the white roses, she looked like a melodramatic heroine pining for her vanished lover. _Or some such nonsense_. Sayuri's thoughts brought a smile to her lips, and she kicked a pebble into the pond, causing Miss Melodramatic Heroine to vanish into ripples.

She straightened up and spotted her daughter pursuing a butterfly through a bed of irises. "Haruka! Don't trample the poor flowers!"

The toddler stopped dead, examining the crushed blooms beneath her feet. "Oh. Poor flowars." Instead of going back the way she had come, the little girl carefully toddled through the rest of the flower bed, pulverizing more irises in the process. Ending up on the grassy lawn, she turned and surveyed the damage. "Oops."

Sayuri laughed. "Come here, silly."

The child examined something in the ruined flower bed, reaching forward to grab it. Then she obediently turned and scampered to her mother. "Mommy! Lookit!"

Sayuri smiled as her little daughter held up a small yellow flower for inspection. "Oh, yes. Isn't it pretty?"

"Pretty?" The little girl considered the blossom clutched in her fist. "Well, kinda."

Sayuri laughed again and scooped the toddler up into her lap, tickling her. "'Kinda?' You think it's kinda pretty?" Her daughter squealed with laughter, squirming to get away. Sayuri kissed the top of her head, cuddling her. "Not as pretty as you, sweetheart."

It was the truth. Little Haruka was barely more than a baby, but it was already evident that she had inherited her mother's beauty.

The child snuggled into her mother's lap, sticking her thumb into her mouth. She watched the clouds move across the sky with untroubled, clear green eyes. "Mommy? Is it raining soon?"

"Maybe." Sayuri stroked her daughter's silky pale hair, crooning a little song about rainstorms and forests growing. About not being afraid. She felt a lump lodge in her throat as her daughter grew sleepy in her arms. _Oh, how I wish we had nothing more to fear than a passing thunderstorm..._

"Sayuri."

She looked up, startled. A man in ceremonial armor stood there, gray eyes heavy on her and her child. Sayuri went white. "Kanaye..." she whispered, frozen.

"The nobles disagree with you. Judgement has been passed," the man said flatly. "Please give the girl to me."

"No..." Sayuri's eyes went wide with shock. She clutched her daughter so hard that the child woke up, squeaking in protest. "No. How can you be a part of this, Kanaye? She's your daughter, too!"

Kanaye flinched. "Sayuri..."

"You disappear for years without a word, then you come back to carry out a death sentence on your own child?!" Sayuri's voice was furious. "How can you--"

"I have no choice." Kanaye drew his sword, the pain visible in his eyes. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

"Harder for who? You?" Sayuri leaped to her feet, hugging her daughter close.

Kanaye took a step forward. "I don't want to hurt you, Sayuri..." His eyes locked onto her face, his expression a bewildering mixture of longing and stern resolve. "But if it becomes necessary, I have orders to--"

Little Haruka looked around, sleepy and puzzled by the raised voices. Her eyes met Kanaye's, and she began to whimper. Sayuri clutched her even closer. "At least let me send a message to my mother," she said desperately. "She can--"

"Lady Ayame has no jurisdiction here. I'm sorry." Kanaye gripped the hilt of his katana firmly. "I have to carry out my orders."

Sayuri looked at him in despair. _I loved you once. I thought you loved me. No. You _did _love me, I couldn't have imagined that, but... _Her pulse had been hammering in panic, but now it steadied. Violet eyes turned steely._ How quickly the heart turns over! _she thought savagely, her own heart wrenching."I don't care about your orders," she finally said, low and fast. "I'm not letting you hurt my daughter." She raised one arm.

"Sayuri, don't--!"

The wind picked up alarmingly, screaming straight at Kanaye and slamming into his body. He struggled to maintain his balance. It was like being engulfed by the ocean; the roar of it was deafening. He hunched low, gathering his own strength to avoid being blown away. "Sayuri!" he shouted, shielding his face. "Stop!"

The wind died as suddenly as it had come. Sayuri and her daughter were gone.

Kanaye cursed. He had been entrusted with this task to prove his continuing loyalty to his people and their mission to preserve order. It was also an act of penance for his crimes in nearly upsetting that same order. If he did not complete it...

"Surely, you can do better, brother," a male voice growled from the shadows. Kanaye bowed his head in shame. Of course his superiors had been observing him. "Is her good will so much more important than preventing chaos?"

"Evidently, brother," another voice answered the first. "Or we would not all be in the situation now."

"I understand, my brothers," Kanaye said, voice strained. "I will complete the sentence."

"Then go now. She did not fly, there is still time."

"Yes." Kanaye opened his mind, searching for Sayuri's life force. Even after have been apart for so long, he still almost knew it better than his own. _She's going to the gates?! _Without hesitating further, he raced after her, his surroundings blurring into a tunnel of speed.

* * *

Sayuri fled through a maze of rose hedges, cradling her daughter in her arms. The maze was not as well kept as it had been in her childhood; thorny branches hung across the path, ripping at her hair and yukata. She winced as one cut across her cheek, but kept running, summoning an accompanying wind to push the briars away.

Little Haruka was clutching her mother's yukata with both small fists, shaking. No doubt the little girl had sensed Kanaye's intent. _Her own father..._Sayuri thought, agonized. Haruka whimpered and Sayuri quieted her emotions with difficulty, trying not to frighten her child more than she was already. For a brief second she wished that her daughter's abilities hadn't developed so quickly; having them now made this situation all the more nightmarish for her.

She picked up a strong life force moving in a path tangential to her own, and sped up. _He's guessed already. But I have just a little further...if I can just get there first..._

She exploded into the clearing in a whirl of wind-blown rose petals and debris. "Yes..." she breathed. Before her, another mirror-still pond winked in the dusky sunlight, surrounded by a circle of twelve white stone pillars. Sayuri stared at these anxiously, trying to remember which one she wanted..._There._ The one marked with the butterfly.

She rushed to it, hurriedly setting her daughter down. Placing one hand on the carved butterfly, she whispered, "_Open. I am driven by a great need and require your aid. Please open." _

Nothing happened. For one wild second she thought the gate was going to be stubborn. _No. There's no time!_ But then the butterfly symbol began to glow with a white light. Turning quickly, Sayuri nearly wept with relief when she saw that the pond was glowing too, its previously unruffled waters stirring in the depths and casting patterns in the shadows around her.

Kanaye's life force was getting closer. Sayuri made to snatch her daughter up, but hesitated. _They will hunt us. My mother cannot stop them, cannot help us. They will hunt us and they will not stop until they have found her. So long as she has all these powers, she'll never be safe, ever. _She looked at her child, torn. Pretty green eyes stared back, wide and scared. "Mommy, what's wrong?" the toddler said clearly, her little face frightened. Sayuri took a breath that was almost a sob. "Sweetheart..." she knelt down, gripping her daughter's small shoulders. Kanaye's presence was drawing too close. It was now or never. "I love you. Never, never forget that." A tear slid down her cheek.

Then she steeled herself and plunged her hidden dagger into her daughter's back.

Haruka didn't cry out. She froze, staring at her mother in shocked incomprehension as her blood spattered the grass. Weeping, Sayuri wrenched the dagger out and stabbed again, this time on the other side.

This time the child cried out, a full-throated scream of agony that rose up and up and made the heavens echo. Sayuri nearly screamed herself, her whole frame shaking with grief.

Kanaye, rushing into the clearing, halted in shock. "Skies above..." he gasped, staring at the sight before him. _Why--Does Sayuri mean to kill her child herself?!_

Sayuri gulped for air, gathering her shattered strength to her once more. Before Kanaye could move, she whirled around, grabbing her daughter bodily and throwing her into the pond. There was no splash as the now-silent child disappeared into the brightly glowing waters.

Kanaye reacted a split second too late, seizing Sayuri's wrists. He stared into her tear-stained face. "What have you done?!"

She stared back, shoulders shaking, expression numb. "I've kept my daughter safe," she whispered. "You'll never find her now."

As if to punctuate her words, the pillar and the pond stopped glowing, returning to their impassive and unremarkable state. Kanaye cursed. He knew that neither he nor any of his brothers-in-the-sky could open the gate again.

"Where did you send her?" he demanded, gripping Sayuri's shoulders and shaking her. "Where?!"

"Somewhere safe. Do what you will, I shall never tell you where." Sayuri closed her eyes. "I loved you once, you know."

He had strict orders. Execute the child, and take her mother before the council for judgement. If she repented her crime, as he had, her sentence would be light. But with her actions, Sayuri had already gone far beyond the redemption of repentance. As a soldier sworn to defend the ancient order, he knew what he had to do.

"I should have never asked you to marry me," Kanaye said quietly, drawing his sword. He pulled Sayuri in close, touching it to her throat. "I'm sorry."

She did not resist. Steady violet eyes met his. "Not as sorry as I am."

He ended her life mercifully quickly, with one swift movement of his blade across her throat. She died without a sound, her lifeless body slipping to the petal-strewn grass.

When his superiors came at last, they found Kanaye sitting, dull-eyed, watching his wife's blood stain the white rose petals red.

* * *

The child, Haruka, opened her eyes slowly. She was curled up on her side on the hard ground. Her back throbbed and she let out a little moan, curling up tighter.

It was dark. A bright moon shone above, but she was surrounded by mist. Where was her mother? Her mother had hurt her...

Whimpering, the little girl struggled into a sitting position. "Mommy..." she sobbed. The world around her was close and dark and lonely and she wanted to climb into her mother's lap and feel her warmth and hear her sing the night's fears away. But her mother had _hurt _her...

"Mommy!" she wailed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. As she cried uncontrollably, she failed to notice the monstrous shapes in the mist, coming closer and closer...

_**Don't worry, this randomness will relate to Bleach soon. Again, reviews are highly welcome.**_


	2. Chapter 1: The Broken

_**Gah! Well, sorry about the length between updates. Unseen powers are interfering with my story, namely, the unseen power of homework, the unseen power of finicky computers, the unseen power of contagious diseases, the unseen power of rowdy roommates, and the unseen power of sudden plot twist overload.**_

_**So anyhow, we finally get to the Bleach-ness in this bit. Please let me know if you think Kisuke's character is off. That's what I'm mostly worried about.**_

Kisuke Urahara was having a bad day. To say the very least. For the very life of him, he couldn't imagine why the Patrol Corps needed him, the head of the Detention Unit, for pity's sake, to provide another backup unit for a fairly routine mission. He could have been working on his latest experimental procedures, but _nooooo..._

His current task had been on Yoruichi's orders, and while he might have groused quite a bit more if those orders had been given informally in private, he couldn't very well turn down his captain when she was giving them to him in public. She knew that, of course. That's why she had given the orders in the briefing room, in front of everyone. There was a limit to how long he could waffle in the face of her personal guard staring daggers at him. _Especially that little one, whats-her-name, Soi Fon. She's really got it in for me, for some reason._

"Third Seat! The forward patrol has made contact!" A black-clad Special Forces member exclaimed, holding up an communicator and waving him over. "What are your orders?"

Kisuke sighed. "Well, I guess we better go and lend them a hand." He was really at a loss for why they needed him. The Patrol Unit was more than capable of tracking down and dealing with its own Hollows. _I'm just deadweight here. They know it, I know it, Yoruichi knows it. So why send me?_

"Understood, sir!" The patrol leader signaled to the members scattered throughout the misty trees, and they all flash-stepped off, Kisuke a beat behind the rest. When they halted again, they could hear the sounds of battle clearly. "The Hollow is creating...difficulties for the advance patrol," the leader told Kisuke quietly. "Sir, how should we proceed?"

_You're the patrol leader, you tell me, _Kisuke thought. He kept that thought silent and said out loud to the group, "We must engage the enemy and assist our comrades. Uh...use caution, everybody."

"Yes, sir!" The patrol answered in unison, instantly springing off in all directions. The Patrol Unit wasn't one for waffling. Actually, none of the Second Company was. He himself still had his learning moments with that whole attitude of total efficiency.He sighed again and sprang forward after the rest of the group, drawing his zanpakuto.

In the clearing ahead, the advance patrol had engaged the "abnormal" Hollow of which they had been getting so many reports. _Whoa. That's a pretty good-sized Hollow. _The thing looked like a cross between a dragonfly and a dinosaur, and it towered above the treetops, using its four clawed hands and spiked tail to swipe at the black-clad agents trying to stab the vitals of its massive body. _Now how did we miss this one? Patrol Unit's been searching for it for weeks..._

Kisuke sensed the attack a split second before it occurred. He barely managed to dodge out of the way as a gigantic stinger embedded itself in the ground where he had just been. He whirled, blocking a second blow. _Another Hollow?! But the reports said there was only the one! _

But the reality before him told a different story. This Hollow crouched low to the ground, supporting itself on six legs ending in sharp hooks. A segmented tail, like a scorpion's, arched over its back, the tip glittering with venom. _"Ssssshhinigami..." _it hissed. The tail rose to strike again.

It's stinger vanished in a spray of blood. It shrieked. _All right_, Kisuke thought, turning again to face it, _playtime is over. _Benihime thrummed with delight as he delivered the final blow, clean through the Hollow's carapace. It shrieked again and shimmered, dissolving into nothing.

"Third Seat!" Several nearby members of his patrol had become aware of his skirmish. "Sir, are you all right?"

"Never better!" Kisuke said cheerfully, flicking blood off his zanpakuto. "Our intelligence seems to be off, though...I thought there was only one Hollow out here."

Before they could reply, he flash-stepped to the aid of the rest of the patrol battling the first Hollow. That two units of the Onmitsukido, the Special Forces, hadn't dispatched it yet probably meant that they needed his help. The Hollow roared as he appeared in front of it, reaching for him with one clawed hand. _Shwak. _The severed hand flew away. Seizing the opportunity, one Special Forces agent leaped past the now clawless limb and planted his zanpakuto in the Hollow's throat, ripping it clear with one swipe.

To Kisuke's shock, the creature merely batted the man away, uttering a bone-chilling howl. _But...that should have ended it! That stab was fatal! _He leaped out of the way as one of the Hollow's clawed hands smashed into the ground where he had been standing.

_Drat. This one is a toughie._ He waved the patrols back and gathered his reiatsu. _"Scream," _he said, raising his zanpakuto, "Benihi--"

The Hollow unleashed an earth-shattering bellow. The ground shook. The trees quaked for miles. Several Special Forces members dropped to their knees, the rest reeled as if struck by an invisible shock wave. Which in fact, they had been.

Kisuke's attack was disrupted at once, Benihime's intent to kill evaporating from his mind. His eyes widened. _What is this...spiritual pressure?!_

The creature bellowed again, and through the mist and trees around the clearing, other Hollow began to emerge. The new monsters made beelines for the fallen.

Never again, Kisuke mused as he cut the first one in half, would he judge a bad day by mere unwanted assignments. After all, a guy's day could get _so_ much worse.

The huge Hollow roared again, the unmistakable spiritual pressure that emanated from it rising. More Hollow began to appear and attack the beleaguered patrol units. Kisuke abruptly realized that the gigantic Hollow was attracting, no, _calling_ other Hollows to the site of the skirmish. The one he had killed before had merely been a frontrunner.

"Fall back from the big one!" he shouted to everyone still able to obey. "Deal with these smaller ones and protect the wounded!" He seized the nearest unit member. "Call for assistance! And hurry it up, please!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The agent gripped his communicator, holding it up to his ear. "This is Squads nine and fifteen! We require immediate assistance! A large group of Hollow, at least 30 strong, has converged at..." The agent rattled off the rest of his message, paused, then turned to Kisuke. "They're coming, sir! Squads three through five are on their way!"

Kisuke could only hope that they would get there soon. Both units present had been unprepared for an ambush like this. A good half of them were out of action already, tied up trying to stabilize the wounded or among that number themselves. He refused to think about how many might die tonight.

He wheeled to face the huge Hollow himself. If he finished it off, it would all be over. The remaining Hollows would be easy to defeat after their leader was gone. Then he saw, with some surprise, that the creature had turned away from the ensuing battle. It was ignoring everything, even the other Hollows rushing past it. It was as if it had suddenly lost interest, confident that its minions would destroy the patrol forces. It bent low to the ground near a clump of shrubs, growling.

Kisuke later couldn't say whether he had seen, heard, or felt something, but when the monster hauled the child out of the bushes, he was there instantly.

_Shwak!_ The Hollow howled in pain as its arm was severed at the wrist. The bloody appendage flew off in one direction, the child in another. Kisuke jumped up and caught the youngster in mid-air, landing on the ground in a crouch.

It was a little girl. Three, maybe four years old. And she was covered in blood. Her eyes, wide with pain and fear, locked onto his face. Kisuke stared back, startled. Her eyes were incredibly, impossibly green. So green it was like seeing true green for the first time. It was amazing.

There was something else about those eyes, too, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He was so intrigued that he forgot where he was for a moment. But a sharp whistling noise reminded him in the nick of time. He rolled to the side, shielding the little girl, as the huge Hollow's wicked spiked tail thumped into the ground they had just vacated.

Tucking the girl against his shoulder, he sprang up, sword raised defensively.

But the Hollow didn't attack again. It rumbled threateningly, tail lashing. Then it spoke. "_Give me...the kid...Shinigami."_

"I don't think so," Kisuke said firmly. He could feel the little girl shaking with terror and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "That kind of goes against the grain, you know."

The Hollow growled. "_Then...I'll...kill...you." _It's tail swung forward again.

But Kisuke had had enough. He flash-stepped away with the child, reappearing directly behind the Hollow. As it wheeled to face him, he gathered his reiatsu once again, building it up into a firestorm of resolve. Cocking his zanpakuto behind his shoulder, he swung it forward in a savage uppercut, shouting, "_Scream_,Benihime!"

A crescent of red energy flew off Benihime's edge and knifed through the ground toward the Hollow. Before it could dodge away, it hit the creature with a tremendous _Shplack! _neatly bisecting it. And that was the end of that. Let it never be said the Kisuke Urahara performed shoddily with any kind of proper motivation.

As the remains of the Hollow dissolved, he heard a shout behind him. "Kisuke!"

He turned, seeing a slim, dark woman running toward him, accompanied by a good thirty members of the emergency response units and her personal guard.

"Yoruichi," he said, surprised.

She ignored him for a moment. "Spread out and eliminate the other Hollows," she ordered her team. "And send for Fourth Company to treat the wounded!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Kisuke rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Sorry, Yoruichi. I made a mess of things."

Soi Fon, standing at Yoruichi's shoulder, shot him a glare. Kisuke knew she was itching to reprimand him for taking such a casual tone with her captain, but she held her tongue. Not because he outranked her, he knew. Only out of respect for Yoruichi's wishes.

Yoruichi snorted. "Nonsense. Made a mess of things? Your were the only one who could have salvaged this mission at all. This kind of thing is exactly why you should be a captain."

"Not that again," Kisuke sighed. _So that's why she sent me out here. She's still trying to build recommendation material. _"I'm perfectly fine where I am..."

"Nonsense," Yoruichi said again, golden eyes suddenly mischievous. "You're too talented, Kisuke. Don't think I'm going to let you keep it to yourself. Next open captaincy there is, you've got my recommendation."

When he looked less than enthusiastic, she chuckled. "Just say thank you, Kisuke."

"Thank you, Captain Shihoin."

Captain Shihoin rolled her eyes. "Now, what's this you've got?" She gestured at the child in his arms.

Kisuke looked down, startled all over again. He had almost forgotten about the little girl. _Well, she's not heavy at all. Actually...she weighs almost nothing. Why...?_ "Well," he said, as if it wasn't obvious, "it's a little girl."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, and he hurriedly continued. "The Hollow was trying to eat her. I don't know where she came from..."

Yoruichi reached out and took the child, setting her on the ground, where she crouched down as well. The little girl stared at her with big, solemn green eyes. Kisuke realized with a start that she hadn't made a sound the entire time. Not a word. Not a cry. Not even a whimper. _That's strange._

Yoruichi stared back just as solemnly, noting the unusual nature of the young child's eyes. _Like staring into a deep pool_, she decided. _I can't feel any spiritual pressure from her, but I feel _something. "How interesting," she murmured. She gently turned the child around, discovering the twin slashes in her back. "Kisuke, look at this."

Kisuke looked and winced. "So that's where all the blood is from. Poor kid."

Yoruichi frowned slightly, still examining the wounds. They began as a puncture right above the shoulder blade, continuing in a wicked slash down to the middle of the back. They were clean-edged, straight, and completely uniform. _No Hollow did this._

She noticed the little girl was shaking and swaying slightly, and quickly sat her on her lap. Her skin was cold and clammy. "She's stopped bleeding, but she's lost too much blood and she's going into shock. Soi Fon, go make sure Fourth Division is on their way, and hurry them up. Drag a seated officer here yourself if you have to."

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!" Soi Fon bowed and vanished.

Yoruichi's gaze swept the battlefield. All units in sight were attending to their wounded comrades or guarding the perimeter. She had no doubt that any Hollows that had escaped would be swiftly hunted down and killed without her assistance.

"Kisuke," she said, easing the child off her lap, "We need to stabilize this girl now, or we're going to lose her."

Kisuke nodded. It was amazing that the kid was even still alive, considering everything. _Her situation needs to change for the better, and fast._

He heartily wished that the Fourth would hurry up faster, and knelt down next to Yoruichi and the child.

Yoruichi had already started a healing kido and was gently touching her glowing hands to the little girl's bloody back. "Keep her conscious," Yoruichi absently ordered, eyes narrowing as she concentrated.

"All right..." He smiled and laid one hand on the kid's head. "Hey there. You've been through quite the adventure, haven't you?"

The little girl gazed up at him, startled. Her little face looked chalky, her lips pale. He forced himself to keep smiling. "What's your name, kiddo?"

She just stared at him, uncomprehending. Kisuke spoke more slowly. "Your...name? You have a name, right?" He pointed to himself with his free hand. "My name is Kisuke."

Her small hand raised shakily and pointed to him. "That's right," he said, encouraged. "Kisuke. That's me. What's your name?"

She opened her mouth, silently struggling. Then she closed it again. Not a word came out.

Kisuke understood, and a fresh wave of pity went through him. Whatever kind of suffering this child had gone through, whether it had been before or after the Hollows had discovered her, it had effectively deprived her of the ability to speak.

_**Whew! Well, what do y'all think? We finally have the beginnings of a plot...**_

_**Thanks to all who reviewed: kuro-30fyre, Happy94Goth, ViolentxLove, and Shadow's Masquerade!**_

_**Thanks also to all those who favorited and put this story on alert. It made me happy. :)**_


	3. Chapter 2: Silent Shadow

_**I'm sorry. I know it appeared as if I had vanished off the face of the fandom. I was really sick for a while, and then I got better and went abroad for a few months. Such is life and the Unseen Powers that govern it. **_

_**I do intend to finish this story, eventually. Progress may be slow, because I have a much better idea than the one I started with and I must figure out how to integrate things. I've actually been chipping away at this chapter for a few months now, and hopefully it is not as soul-destroying to you as it was to me. I've got to work on a less cumbersome writing style...**_

* * *

Haruka woke up in a bed. A big bed. A clean bed. A bed that wasn't hers. The unfamiliarity made her head spin for a moment, and then she began to remember.

A fresh whimper began in her throat, but she froze, stifling it. Crying had brought those monsters hunting for her. She must not cry. Never, never, never. She musn't make a sound. The importance of this was nearly overwhelming, and she involuntarily curled into a tight ball. Thinking of her mother made her cry. So she must not think of her mother. Never. Not a sound. Not a sound. All would be well if she didn't make a sound. She breathed quietly for a moment, shaking. Not a sound. She reassured herself that she could do that. Slowly uncurled. Cautiously sat up.

The room she was in was nice. There were no toys or anything in it, but it was sunny and warm, with clean white walls. Through the big window, she could see a blue sky.

It was a nice room, but it felt huge and empty around her. She huddled on the bed, uncertain. Then she scrambled off of it, dropping to the floor. Padded over to the door on wobbly legs. She had to find … Kisuke. Yes, that was his name. He was safe. He would keep her safe, he wouldn't let the monsters or ... or anything else hurt her.

She poked her head around the door frame, looking down a long hallway. There were voices, but no people. She listened for a moment. None of the voices were Kisuke's. She took the end of her braid and chewed on it, distressed. Where was he? He had to be somewhere close by.

She slipped out of the room and trotted down the hall, ignoring the other rooms. Somewhere close by ... but where?

"Uh ... hey! Wait!" a flustered voice called out.

Haruka stopped, glancing back up the hallway. A young man in black and white clothing was hurrying toward her. "You shouldn't be out here!"

She could tell, by observing his brisk trot and anxious features, that he would put her back in the room she had just left and make sure she stayed there. There was only one thing to do.

"Ah! Stop!" The young man cried out as she broke into a surprisingly fast sprint. "Come back!" He gave chase, calling protests that attracted other people in the building. One of them called after the young man. "Yuiji? What's going on?"

"Did you leave your paperwork at home again?" someone else joked.

"Shut up! Just help me catch her!" Yuiji shouted, pointing frantically at the small form darting around a corner.

"An escaping patient?" "She's just a kid!" "Hey! Come back!" Several others began to run after her as well, calling for her to stop. They began to chase her in earnest when she took a left turn and darted into the administrative wing. "Stop! You're not allowed to go in there!"

Haruka flew down the hall just out of their reach, small feet pattering wildly on the wooden floor.

A shape loomed out of a doorway as she passed and made a lunge for her, but she skipped nimbly to the side, putting on an extra burst of speed as the man struggled to regain his equilibrium and failed spectacularly, sprawling across the hall and tripping two of the runners. There were yelps of pain and indignation. "Get out of the way, fatso!" "Hey, watch where you're stepping!"

Haruka spotted movement up ahead; a woman in white, pushing a table with wheels. Diving forward, she slid underneath the table and between the woman's legs, then jumped up again, continuing to run. The woman shrieked and threw herself to the side, gaping as Haruka's pursuers shoved the gurney out of their way, sending medical equipment flying, and stampeded down the hall after her.

There were more people in the hallway ahead. "HEY!" Yuiji bellowed. "STOP THAT KID!" Startled, they looked at the crazy pursuit heading toward them and braced themselves. One man's arms opened to catch Haruka as she raced toward him. But she skidded on the slick floorboards and abruptly changed direction, careening down an adjoining corridor.

Behind her, there was the sound of several painful collisions, and then a hotly-renewed pursuit. Ahead, there was a square of light as another pair of women, oblivious to the rapidly-approaching cavalcade, opened a large door and made to step outside. Haruka's little legs pumped faster, propelling her to the door just as Yuiji's hand closed on the back of her robe. "Gotcha, you little-whoa!" He abruptly crashed into one woman, who promptly toppled into the other. Each had been carrying a large stack of papers.

Haruka barreled across the threshold amid an explosion of paperwork and curses and promptly slammed into someone's legs. "Oof! What the-"

She looked up, made out Kisuke's puzzled expression through the glare of sunlight, and wrapped her short arms around his knees with all the gripping power of a suicidal limpet.

Kisuke watched the last of the paper blizzard spiral to the ground and winced as a few shinigami slipped and took undignified spills. "Wow. Looks like a lot of excitement around here today." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the little girl currently squeezing the feeling out of his lower legs. She stared back up at him, green eyes enormous. He placed one hand on the top of her head. "What's wrong, are you scared?" He did a double take, and crouched down to her level. "Wait, are you _hurt? _You shouldn't be out of bed yet, it's only been a couple of days!"

"Third Seat Urahara!" A Fourth squad orderly navigated the chaos that was the front entrance of the hospice and hurried over to him. "Apologies, sir! We neglected to keep an eye on the patient!"

"'We neglected'?" another orderly objected, extricating himself from the mess. "This is _your_-" He spotted the person who had accompanied Kisuke and paled, his sentence trailing off. "Ca...Captain Unohana!"

"Captain Unohana!" The first orderly echoed, also paling. "Um...I can explain!"

"No need for you to explain, Yuiji," the Captain of Fourth Division said lightly. "But while such energy and enthusiasm is refreshing, it isn't very appropriate to chase those in our care through the halls, and it certainly wouldn't do to lose those requisition forms." She looked pointedly at the scattered papers, which were beginning to be carried off by an errant breeze. All Fourth Division medics present took this as their cue to begin frantically gathering them up.

It was at times like these that Kisuke wondered what the real power behind Unohana's gentle smile was. And if it could be studied and put to use elsewhere. _I wonder if it would work on the inmates at Maggot's Nest. Or maybe it could even be harnessed as a weapon to use in the field._

But while it was intriguing to think of terrifying Hollows into compliance without even having to raise a zanpakuto, he had other things to think about at the moment. Namely, if the small girl currently maintaining a death grip on his kneecaps really was in any condition to be escaping from the relief station staff, and why she had decided to make a run for it in the first place.

Captain Unohana turned to him. "Perhaps it would be best if we took the child back to her room, Urahara." She looked at the little girl clinging to his knees and smiled a motherly smile quite different from the rather chilling one she had just used on her subordinates. "We may conduct an examination there also."

"Oh. Right." He carefully pried the child off himself and picked her up. She promptly re-fastened her arms around his neck, and he had to shift her a little so that he could still breathe. "Please lead the way, Captain Unohana."

He got a better idea of the chaos that his passenger had caused as they retraced her route back to the examination room. The good captain assumed a carefully blank look as they passed an overturned gurney and its smashed equipment, but she only paused to inquire as to whether anyone needed medical treatment. Then she continued on serenely. Kisuke trailed in her wake, growing more nervous at the sight of each new bit of aftermath. He hoped this wouldn't make things more difficult for the little girl in the event that they had to hold her in the Seireitei for a while. _I also hope they don't take the cost of that equipment out of my paycheck, _he thought wryly.

They reached the room and Captain Unohana ushered them inside, gesturing to the bed that the little girl had so recently vacated. Kisuke tried to ease the little girl onto it, but she only clung to him more tightly. He sighed and sat them both down instead, and only then did she ease her stranglehold enough that he could settle her on his lap.

He looked up and met Unohana's amused gaze rather sheepishly. "Sorry, Captain. I can't seem to get her to let go of me."

"She seems to have taken quite the shine to you, Urahara," she agreed, blue eyes twinkling. "It's understandable after what she has been through recently, however." She pulled up a chair and sat down, examining the child calmly. The child stared back attentively, sitting very still on Kisuke's lap. There was a brief silence as they regarded each other, and then a soft blue glow surrounded them both. Kisuke felt the warmth of Unohana's reiatsu as she gently probed her patient, evaluating her condition.

"Both Captain Shihoin and yourself reported that this child had no reiastu," Unohana noted. There was a slight crease between her eyebrows. "But right now, as well as in some examinations I did while she was unconscious, I am finding some kind of sympathetic resonance in response to my own reiatsu."

"Sympathetic resonance?" Kisuke echoed, intrigued. "Well, there is something unusual about her spirit presence, but...do you mean to say that she is reflecting your reiatsu back to you, Captain Unohana?"

"No." Unohana let her reiatsu grow slightly, brightening the glow. "I mean that when I touch her core, where her saketsu and hakusui would be if she were a shinigami, it feels as if she has her own reiatsu, quite different from my own. But when I withdraw..." The blow glow surrounding Unohana and her patient vanished, "this sensation disappears."

Kisuke absorbed this. "But you're certain that she has no saketsu or hakusui?"

"Quite certain. The tests I performed while monitoring her recovery yesterday confirmed this. Despite the odd effect we have just observed, she would appear to be an ordinary soul. However..." The crease between Unohana's eyebrows became a small frown. "There is also no evidence that she ever had a Chain of Fate attached to her spirit body. None at all."

Kisuke felt his jaw drop slightly. _How is that possible? Every soul who ends up in Soul Society once died in the mortal world, and thus had their Chain of Fate severed. To not have one at all would mean..._

"Is she a noble, then?" He already knew the answer to this question, but it was the only explanation he could think of right then.

Unohana shook her head. "If she had been born in Soul Society as a member of a noble family, that may have explained her lack of a Chain. But even the nobles have dwelt in the mortal world in their past lives, and traces of their Chains of Fate can still be found if one is skilled enough and knows what to look for. I sense nothing of the kind in this child."

"Of course," Kisuke murmured, glancing down at the girl. She tilted her head back and met his gaze silently. "You've left us with quite a few questions, kiddo," he admonished gently. She blinked at him.

She really was quite cute.

"Some research might be required," Captain Unohana was musing out loud, "I can't think of any situation where the traces might have been erased, but if there is a precedent, it will be in our archives."

"Er...what about in the meantime, Captain? Will you be keeping her here?"

"Yes. That was the directive from Captain-General Yamamoto. In addition, I am quite certain that she needs more medical attention, especially after all the excitement today." She said this with a smile, but Kisuke could tell she wasn't amused about the lack of consideration demonstrated by the relief station staff. He didn't envy the on-duty staff the lecture they were sure to receive. _Thank goodness I was _with_ her at the time..._

"Now, Urahara, please place her on the bed so that I may examine her back. I'm a little concerned about the current state of her injuries."

"Oh. Yes, ma'am." He moved to stand up, and the little girl clung to him again, cutting off circulation. "Hey, now, I'm not going anywhere. I just need to put you down for a second," he wheezed. Her eyes narrowed in a critical study of his face, and he marveled again at how astoundingly _green_ they were.

"Just for a little while," he repeated cheerfully. "I'll stay right here, I promise." She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded, apparently satisfied. She wriggled down from his lap and trotted over to the bed. As he and Unohana watched, startled, she clambered up and lay down on her stomach, turning her head to the side to look at them.

Unohana laughed quietly. "Apparently she understands more than we give her credit for." She moved to the bed and began to unfasten the child's hospital robe.

"Yeah." Kisuke suddenly felt a bit dazed. "She's really smart." He hesitated, then asked, "Captain Unohana, what do you think could have happened to her to make – Captain?"

Unohana had paused in her movements and her face had gone very still. "Captain? Is everything –" His eyes followed her gaze to the little girl's exposed back and he froze as well, shocked.

Retsu Unohana raised her eyes after a long moment. Her face was grave. "They're healed," she said quietly.

It was true. The two vicious, life-threatening parallel gashes that Kisuke had seen not two days ago had completely healed over. The only remaining signs of any injury were two thin, silvery white scars.

The order came down from Captain-General Yamamoto himself, a scant hour after Unohana delivered her report to the First Division. "Keep patient under surveillance until further notice."

Which, of course, translated as "Keep an eye on her until we decide what to do with her."

It was, Retsu Unohana reflected, fortunate that the girl was so young. The Captain-General and many of the other captains had an unfortunate tendency to view the world purely in terms of "friend or foe." They would be much less likely to consider a child a potential threat to Soul Society.

Yet, even if the girl was not deemed dangerous, she would still be considered a potential liability within the Seireitei. She had no place and no purpose there, which Unohana knew would not be tolerated. There was a place for everything, and everything stayed in its place, from the lowliest shopkeeper's assistants to the members of the Council of Forty-Six. That was how it had always been.

Unohana sighed as she shuffled the papers on her desk. If the Court of Pure Souls found no use for the child, she would be sent back to the Rukongai. The captain of Fourth Company harbored no illusions about what happened to children in some of the rougher districts, and so she determined to use her influence to at least make sure her erstwhile patient had a decent roof over her young head in one of the more affluent areas. Perhaps in district 3...

A flurry of knocks sounded on her office door.

"Come in," she called. The door flew open and a harried-looking assistant healer stepped in and bobbed a quick bow. "Sorry to disturb you, Captain, but the patient in room 2126...well, she is missing!"

That Kisuke did not enjoy paperwork was an understatement. He spent generous amounts of time coming up with ways to pass the necessary forms and documents on to unsuspecting underlings, time that Yoruichi said (in an exasperated, amused way) could be spent actually completing it. But that was not nearly as much fun.

_Actually,_ Kisuke thought, as he chewed the end of his pen and scanned the latest list of casualty reports, _That might be a benefit of becoming a captain. More underlings to pass the paperwork to._

There was a slight noise behind him. He ignored it until it came again, a bit more persistently. Then he glanced over his shoulder.

The little girl was standing there, her hands clasped behind her back, watching him patiently. She was still wearing her hospital gown.

"Oh dear," he muttered. The child gave him a brilliant smile, which made her odd green eyes appear even greener, and padded over to curl up next to him.

The Fourth Division Relief Station was a busy place. No one there had the time or the resources to keep constant watch over a small child who was extraordinarily gifted at slipping away from her caretakers and finding her way to the confused Third Seat of Second Division.

It didn't even seem to matter where he was. After a few days, or even hours, whether he was in his quarters, or his lab, or the offices, or in a meeting with the Division squad leaders, or at the training grounds, he would turn around and there she would be, looking at him questioningly.

Before he could start to worry whether this seemingly supernatural ability would take effect when he was in the _field_, hunting Hollows, the higher ups of First, Second and Fourth finally caved, and assigned the child to him.

He personally thought it was a stubborn refusal to admit that they couldn't contain her, rather than a solution to the problem, but he admitted to himself and to Yoruichi that he didn't have the heart to protest enough to have the girl incarcerated in, say, the Senzaikyu. Which would probably be Yamamoto's next idea.

Besides, having her around wasn't all that bad. She was quiet. She did whatever he asked her to, except when it involved leaving her behind, and she was turning out to be quite the little lab assistant in the meantime. She was plenty clever, and she never broke anything. And she was _cute_. She had a way of staring at him very seriously whenever he explained an experiment or some aspect of the Division to her, and nodding furiously when he was finished. He found it more than a little bit endearing.

_I could deal with kids more often, if they're anything like her,_ he often found himself musing.

And the weeks turned into months, and no one knew anything about her, or where she had come from, and soon people stopped asking him those questions, too. And little by little, he grew accustomed to having a second shadow.

She giggled, at times, but still never spoke a word.

* * *

_**What say you, readership? Do you like less detail? More? How does the flow feel to you? Is this chapter too boring? Feel free to answer any of these questions in your reviews, please!**_


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